Last of Us
by Cassmonsta
Summary: What if the last episode had gone differently? My rewrite, containing Julie's secret being revealed to Mike and some Jukebox action. ONESHOT


~Julie~

We stood on a white box, overlooking the once pristine city being torn apart.

Mike held me close, locking my arms to my sides and positioning me just to the side of him, an odd hostage position. But I knew that Mike was only playing pretend. He wasn't holding my arms with excrutiating force or using me as protection like an actual criminal would do in a hostage situation. Although, technically Mike was a criminal. Technically, we both were.

Kane stood opposite us on a larger cube of the same off-white shade, stiffly surveying us. My father. His eyes roamed our bodies and seemed not to guess that Mike wasn't actually trying to use me.. or at least, not as a meat shield.

"Let's get on with it, Chilton!" His cold eyes pierced through Mike, but not before looking at me with.. concern? My own father did not show remorse for murdering innocent people or decimating a city, but he's concerned for my safety. I would have laughed, but this situation was much too serious.

Mike spoke then. "Its simple. I'll send her over. She turns off the genesis pod, and then I'll surrender. No escapes, no protests."

"And what happens if I don't agree to your terms?" Mike looks anxiously at me like I can help him lie.

"Don't tell me you came all the way up here with just a _bluff_?"

"One more step and I'll drop her!" His lies continue, but he shoves me forward so its almost convincing. Or.. so I think.

"No you won't. You don't have the stomach for this." Kane says confidently.

Suddenly I get an idea. My eyes glance down. Maybe I could help Mike's bluff. I shove myself back just a bit and throw my body off the side of the cube, crying out in mock surprise to further the charade.

Mike almost messes my performance up with a shocked yell of his own, but apparently my dad is too caught up with my own safety to notice. And for good reason. I have tumbled off the cube and my body is hanging, midair, held up only by my left hand, clutched in Mike's warm palm.

"NO!" Kane screams, but he pauses when he sees that Mike had caught me.

Even though I planned this myself, Im still frightened when I look below me and see the ground is thousands of feet down. If I were to drop, I would most definitely die.

Mike decides he has to continue the charade and looks at my father determinedly, as if to say 'You wanna bet?'.

I glance at my father as Mike says "I should let her go!" and he hastily replies with "NO, no WAIT!"

Kane breathes out in defeat and replies again. "I'll do it." He takes a step forward. "Just don't hurt her. Please!"

Mike looks up in defiance, though he pulls me up as he says "If I didn't know you better, I'd almost believe you cared."

Kane suddenly looks furious. "I do care about my little girl, Chilton!"

My feet have been placed on the white cube and I realize what Kane has done. He'd just told Mike my secret! I look up at Mike, looking for his reaction.

Mike's eyes dart down to me, wide and shocked. "Little girl? What.. what is that supposed to mean?" He looks back at Kane. "Julie is.. Your daughter?!"

My dad nods, then pauses. "Wait, why would you think I'd want her back if you didn't know?"

Mike ignores this question and stares, wide-eyed, at me. "Is he serious?"

My eyes close and I breathe in and out. "Yeah.. He's telling the truth." Mike recoils for a moment, before I say under my breath, "Don't blow this for us yet! You can chew me out later if we live!" He apparently got it together, because his eyes turn back into a poker face of sorts and he nods, almost inperceptibly. "Well, _Kane,_ Here comes your daughter. Just keep your side of the bargain."

Our seperate cubes connect and I walk towards my father. I pass him and say, "Im so sorry Daddy." to keep the bluff going, but in the next second he replies and I understand why he agreed. "Don't worry. You'll be safe soon."

And the red shield envelopes me in a square just tall enough for me.

My fist comes back and pounds on the glass-like energy. "No!" The rectangle carries me off into the distance, back to Kane inc.

But my box can't muffle all the sounds, or Mike, stepping forward and shouting "NO!"

Then I am back at Kane inc, wide-eyed and itching to help Mike.

As the sun sets, I look around desperately to try and do something to help.

~LATER, AFTER THE DEFEAT OF KANE~

I'm leaning against Nine Lives and thinking deeply, so I almost don't hear Mike approaching.

"Hey Jules."

I look at him and smile, then I realize. _He knows._

"Mike, I-"

"I want to say.. that one, this explains a lot, and two, I think you're really amazing."

That sentence makes me blink in surprise.

"Wh-what? Mike, you found out my _dad_ is the worst human existing on this planet at the moment! How does that make me.. amazing?"

"Well.. You were raised by the worst human existing on this planet at the moment. And you still turned out better than most people. You turned out kind, and compassionate, smart and brave. I'm amazed at you how you kept it from us, now, anyways. Though thinking back, we must be real idiots to not have figured it out."

I can't help myself. I laugh. "Nah, Im just a really good liar." We laugh together for a few seconds, and then a lull.

"You really aren't going to kick Kane's daughter out of the burners?"

"Nope."

I grin widely, and before I can stop myself, throw myself at Mike and kiss him, full on the lips.

Then, about a half a second later, I realize what I did and pull back quickly.

"Oh, uh.. Sorry."

He blinks a couple times, then cups my cheek with one hand and kisses me. I am surprised, (pleasantly of course) and it takes me a moment before I respond, wrapping my arms around his neck and returning the kiss passionately. His fingers wind through the hair at the base of my neck and pull me against him.

Unfortunately, this bliss lasts exactly twelve seconds before a shocked yelp from Chuck disrupts our kissing.

Texas' mouth is hanging open in utter shock, identical to Chuck, while Dutch wolf-whistles and shouts "Get some!" at the pair.

A blush covers my face fast and when I look up at Mike, his face is tinted pink as well. We untangle ourselves and rejoin the crowd with our hands interlocked, content for once to just mingle.

~Authors Note~

So this just sort of came to me as I finished off the series. Hope you like it!


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